by S A Ison
It took a bit of maneuvering, but they got back out to the main drag and Phoenix picked up speed.
“If anyone sees a good place to stop, give a shout out.” He said, his eyes scanning the landscape for old barns. He slowed and pulled onto Highwater road, and headed east. The terrain was becoming hillier and more forested. There were no longer the large fields. There were low mountain ranges in the distance. It was well over an hour later that Phoenix saw something that might work. They were near De Borgia. They were on a service road and he saw another road that had high grass.
“It looks like no one has gone down that road in a long time. Or at least I hope not and the forest is pretty thick. I’m going to drive down that road for a bit, see if we can’t find someplace secluded.” Phoenix said, turning off the road. It was now early evening and though he could see, it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to turn the lights on. He didn’t want to do that. Slowing down, he saw a large bramble, the foliage, nice and dense.
“Let’s see if that will give us enough cover.” He pulled the jeep to the side of the road and moved off road. He drove in about thirty feet and parked behind the large bramble. He shut off the engine and all sat quietly for a moment. They looked around at each other.
“It’s as good a place as any.” Lydia shrugged and that prompted Phoenix to open his door. He let Yuma get out and then he took Demi from Lydia, so she could climb out. Demi was awake and looking around. They found out last night that Demi could walk, now that she had strength to do it. He didn’t set her down, unsure of the area. They were all aware of animals and also snakes. Taya’s death had taught them that hard lesson.
“I think if we build a fire, right by the jeep, we should be fairly shielded between the jeep and the brambles.” He said, looking around the forest, which was losing color fast. He walked to Lydia and handed her the child and went to the jeep to pull out the small shovel.
“Just watch for snakes everyone.” Lydia said and Monica and Yuma stopped, then started walking with exaggerated care. Lydia smiled and watched as Phoenix began to dig a pit. She used her foot to rake away twigs, branches and rocks from the camp site. Tonight, she would sleep inside the jeep with Demi, she didn’t want to take a chance with a snake snuggling up to them. Monica and Yuma began to drop branches and pine cones into a pile by the pit. Lydia looked around her and the sounds of the birds were beginning to quiet.
Above, the susurrus of the wind moved the evergreen canopy. It smelled of earth, pine resin and green. Lydia moved around in a circle, pushing the forest debris away. The bramble was prickly, and she kept Demi’s hands way, when the child reached out. It had been a horrible end to the day. She sent a silent prayer up for Joe and his family. She couldn’t understand the wonton violence that permeated their lives, this country. The whole damned country had lost its ever-loving mind. She hoped that her parents were alive, knowing her sister wasn’t.
She turned and watched Phoenix light the fire and felt her shoulders relax. She went to the jeep and pulled out three quilts. Monroe had given Monica one and had offered his home once more as a sanctuary. Lydia smiled. She thought the old man was taken with Monica. She looked over at Yuma, and a secretive smile spread on her face. She thought he was taken with Monica as well. Maybe that was why he was wanting to clean his hat this morning. Demi shifted, wanting to get down. She spread one of the quilts and sat down, Yuma dropped one of the backpacks beside her.
Demi tottered over to Yuma, who sat beside the fire to feed it sticks. It popped and crackled.
“You must be careful little one. It can hurt.” Yuma put a restraining arm in front of Demi, to keep her back from the fire.
“Demi, come here honey, let me feed you sweety.” Lydia called. Demi turned, a big toothy grin on her face and she walked like a drunken sailor, back to Lydia. She was unsteady on her feet, but was managing. Lydia thought it was like learning to walk all over again. Pulling the child into her arms, Lydia pinched a bit of rice off and fed it to the child. Monica had made rice balls that morning, Monroe had been excited by the new dish. It was plain rice, mixed with a little oil, seasoning, and some of the rabbit and vegetables from the leftover stew. Monica had finely chopped the ingredients and had added them to the rice, making golf ball sized treats.
Monroe rolled his eyes when he ate one and that had been when he’d asked Monica again, to stay. Lydia popped one in her mouth and had to agree, it was good. Demi thought so as well. Monroe had given them a small bag of rice; in case they needed more food on the road. The group had tried to protest, but Monroe just smiled. There were such extremes, between absolute kindness to absolute brutality.
Phoenix sat beside her and took the baby into his lap. He held the rice ball and Demi’s small fingers grabbed the food and shoved it into her mouth. Phoenix grinned at Lydia. She saw the warmth in his eyes and smiled back. The firelight played over his handsome features. When had she fallen in love with him? It had been so gradual, it snuck up on her. He had saved her life and had protected her with his own life. He had comforted her and encouraged her. She knew he hadn’t wanted her to come, because of the danger, trying to protect her. He hadn’t stopped her, and now they were heading home. Home it was, there was no other place now.
She hoped that Jael, Miles and Julian were safe. She was sure that Thor and Albert would protect them. They’d been gone for nearly two weeks now. It seemed a long time. They would hopefully be home by tomorrow evening.
“Will we push through to get home tomorrow?” Lydia asked, wiping Demi’s face.
“We’re going to try. I want to get off the road, it’s so damned dangerous.” Phoenix said, giving Demi a drink of powdered milk. Monroe had given them a baggy full of the powder and they added it to the water. Lydia thought it stunk. She’d had the vile stuff when she’d been a child. Her family had used it to help supplement the milk. Lydia couldn’t stand the smell or the taste of it. She knew it was important for Demi, the calories and the calcium. At least when they got back to the farm, there was cow’s milk and goat’s milk.
All turned when they heard the hooting of an owl and they looked around the darkening forest. In the distance, an owl answered. Lydia felt goosebumps ripple up her arms. Life was primeval in the forest. She felt very small and very glad to have the fire. The temperature began to drop, and she pulled the quilt up around her shoulders. She scooted near to Phoenix and helped him with Demi. The fire felt good on her face and the smell of it. Then it reminded her of Joe’s home and suddenly, the magic was gone. She tried to push it away. There was nothing to be gained by dwelling on something she couldn’t fix.
“You okay?” Phoenix asked softly, looking down at her. She leaned into him and bumped her shoulder to him.
“Was thinking about earlier.” Her voice was low, she didn’t want to remind the others, but didn’t want to keep it bottled up either.
Phoenix surprised her and put his arm around her and drew her in. It felt good and she let him comfort her. She noticed that Demi was now asleep, bits of rice stuck to her face. She smiled at the child.
“We’ll be okay. If we can get home, we’ll be okay.” He assured her; his dark eyes intense.
“It’s just so close and yet, so far away. I can’t say I wished we hadn’t come, because of Demi and Monica, but it’s just so damned dangerous and it is scary.” She said, moving her hair out of her face.
“Yeah, I won’t say your wrong. We’ll just do the best we can and be on guard and try to be ready for what comes our way. We’ve got the weapons to protect ourselves and we’ve survived so far.” He smiled down at her and she wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug.
“Thanks, I needed that.” She drew back.
The morning birds began before the light penetrated the forest. Monica looked around, she’d woken some time during the night and had sent Yuma to sleep. They’d each taken a turn, keeping watch. She had fed sticks to the fire, just to keep it going, but not so much, that it would blaze up in a conflagration.
She smiled when Yuma had gone to sleep, pulling the Stetson over his face. He had a sweet innocence to him, seeing America as an adventure. He’d also dealt with hardships and losses, so he wasn’t ignorant nor naive. He was solemn, but would then smile and laugh at something that Phoenix or Lydia said.
They were a close-knit group. They had welcomed her whole heartedly and she felt their friendship and kindness. Lydia had braided her hair for her. She’d done her own, both women keeping it back and out of the way. She smiled; she had also caught Yuma’s glances. He somehow seemed fascinated by her. Because she was Chinese? Or a doctor or injured, like himself? She didn’t know. Monica had watched the byplay between Phoenix and Lydia. She thought it was something more than friendship, observing how the interlocutors spoke and their body language.
She thought it was amazing that these people had survived that horrific crash and managed to survive the new world. She was saddened when Lydia told her about Yuma’s wife. They hadn’t told him about the manner of her death.
“We just didn’t think that should have been the last thing he remembered about her.” Lydia said the night before. She looked over and saw that Phoenix was waking. She reached for the small pot and filled it with water. Monroe had been very kind, giving them a small jar of instant coffee. The man had boxes of supplies and odds and ends. He had even allowed her to look through the bags of donated clothing. She was able to add to her meager wardrobe. Even Phoenix had found a few things.
Phoenix wore old denim overalls that were a bit large on him. He looked like a rodeo clown, without the makeup. Jael had sewn three inches of red material at the bottom, so they would cover his boot. There was colorful patchwork that covered rips and gaps. Lydia said he was lucky to have that, since he had nothing but what he’d carried in the carry-on luggage. Three sets of overalls had been found in the barn. Apparently, Yuma was fascinated with the barn and had been scrounging in the barn for months, finding things. The owner of the farmhouse, Jael, had repaired the overalls.
“Morning.” Phoenix said in a low voice.
“Good morning. Slept okay?” She asked, mixing some of the powdered coffee into the pot. They didn’t have cups, so she figured they could pass the pot around, once it cooled enough to drink from.
“God, that smells good.” Phoenix groaned, scratching his bearded chin.
“It does, I’ve not had coffee for six months, I don’t care that this is instant. I’ll miss it when it’s gone.”
“You won’t have to. Our nearest neighbors, the Tisk family. They actually grow coffee, they have six plants in their sun room, they let the plants get about five feet high and have given us quite a few of the seedlings. We’ll be growing our own in Jael’s greenhouse. When we left, they were about a foot tall or better and beginning to bush out.” Phoenix grinned, his dark brows bounded.
“But, what about in winter? Won’t they die?” Monica was surprised.
“They would, but Miles brought his small outdoor furnace and has hooked it up to the greenhouse. It will keep the greenhouse warm all winter. So, we can essentially grow food all winter. We can have fresh vegetables.” Phoenix laughed softly.
“Holy cow, that is amazing. And the fact that the Tisks had the forethought to grow the plants.”
“Well, Bob has some kind of allergy and loves his coffee, so Marian planted them at first as ornamental trees. When the plants started producing the beans, they started making their own coffee. Bob wasn’t allergic and so they’d kept it up. Each of their plants yield roughly a pound or two of coffee. They are conservative with it. We’re hoping in a few years, we’ll start getting beans.” He shrugged.
“Damn. That is fantastic. It’s amazing that someone’s hobby would be so valuable.” Monica shook her head and grinned.
“Jael has coffee, but we use it carefully and sparingly. We have maybe another six months and it will be gone. We’ll be trading Bob for some of his coffee, I’m sure. Thank god his kids don’t drink it.” He laughed. They both turned when the door to the jeep opened. Phoenix got up and helped Lydia with the sleeping child.
“I smelled the coffee.” Lydia snickered in a rough voice. Phoenix took the child and both sat down beside the other, and Monica added sticks to the coals. Yuma grunted and sat up, pushing the Stetson back on his head. He grinned at everyone and crawled to the fire. It was going to be a long day for them all, she knew Phoenix would push to get them home before dark. She couldn’t wait, every moment on the road was dangerous and left them all exposed.
SIXTEEN
Elkhorn, MT
The jeep seemed to whine and chug. Phoenix’s heart was pounding. They were roughly a hundred miles from home. Two hours, more or less. They had stopped and replenished the gas. They had passed between Boulder and Jefferson City and were now in Helena National Forest. They were close, so damned close. The jeep jerked and sputtered once more, and he kept his foot on the accelerator. He looked over at Lydia, and he saw fear in her eyes. She too felt the rattling of the vehicle. They just needed it to run a little longer, take them a little farther. He felt Yuma’s hand squeeze his shoulder and he looked in the mirror. Yuma’s face was pale, he too knew the importance of getting home. They were so damned close. It was late afternoon, but they could be home before dark.
The jeep jerked and whined louder, then a high pitch knocking. He saw the gage for the engine temperature climb.
“Guys, the temperature gage is heading into the red. Should we stop and put water in the radiator? Or stop and let it cool? What should I do? I don’t want to kill the jeep, but I’m afraid if we stop, the jeep will die.” Phoenix called over the noise of the jeep.
The group looked at each other, Phoenix knew nothing about cars, especially old cars. He had his own serviced, when the mechanic called him. They all shrugged and shook their heads.
“Maybe find a good place to pull over. Let the jeep cool down and then add water to the radiator.” Monica suggested and Lydia nodded her head. He looked back at Yuma and he too nodded his head. It sounded like a good idea, as good as any he could think of. They were on a service road that ran through the national forest. It would take them almost directly to Calkins and home. That was why they’d chosen it. It was also off the beaten path and major highways. It was well away from populated areas, which in his book, was the best reason to take the road. It was however a winding and uphill and down road. It had been taxing the jeep, especially the uphill portions.
He slowed the jeep and saw a clearing by the road and pulled over. He shut the engine down and all was quiet, except for the continued knocking and hissing. He let out his breath and looked around him. The others were quiet, they too seemed to be waiting for something. For the jeep to quiet its complaints, he thought. He opened his door and stepped out of the jeep. Yuma pushed the seat forward and crawled out. He reached in and took Demi from Monica; the child was sleeping. Phoenix smiled, watching Yuma lay the child on his shoulder. Yuma had adopted them as his family and so he’d adopted Demi as well.
Lydia got out and stretched and she helped Monica out of the back. It was quiet in the woods, they heard a woodpecker, its staccato tapping resounded through the canopy of green. Phoenix could almost feel the sound resonating within. There were various small birds calling to one another but there was no wind, nor breeze. The forest was dense. He caught glimpses of blue above.
He walked to the front of the jeep and opened the hood, and looked in. He had no clue what he was looking at, but when he held his hand over the guts, he could feel heat radiating up.
“It’s really hot in here.” He said to no one in particular, still looking under the hood. He snorted, as if he knew what in the hell he was looking at. He shook his head.
“Should we just stop for the night? If we can’t make it out of here soon, we won’t have much light to make camp.” Lydia worried, she was turning around in a circle. She was looking up. Mountain lions, she was looking up. He shivered; the memory of Taya came to mind in graphic detail. He pushed it a
way. He sighed heavily and let the hood close shut.
“It’s going to take a while for that to cool down. I guess we’ll just have to stop here for the night. We can try in the morning to start the jeep. Let it rest.” He said, looking around. Yuma nodded and went to Lydia and handed her Demi, then he went to the jeep and pulled out the shovel. It was becoming a routine, digging a pit, gathering wood.
“Guys, just be careful. Snakes and let’s stick together, no going off alone, anywhere. Stay within ten feet of all of us.”
“You got it. This is some serious forest, like the one we crashed in.” Lydia said, walking to the jeep to pull out the blankets. Monica joined Phoenix picking up limbs, sticks and pine cones. They would build a good size fire. There were also bears, now awake from hibernation, there were wolves, and coyotes. They were no match for the apex predators, except they had fire and their weapons. However, if they didn’t pay attention, or wander too far away from the fire, then any of them could be picked off.
Within an hour, they had a fire going in the pit and it hadn’t taken long for the forest to grow dark around them. They could hear frogs croaking and bugs singing. The birds were quieting down as the night creatures were beginning to tune up their instruments for the nightly concert. The night began to close around the small group.
There was a tenseness now, with the jeep acting up, Phoenix knew that they could end up on foot, roughly a hundred miles from home. It would be a long walk and a dangerous one. Their exposure was far greater. Phoenix took a deep breath and looked at Lydia. She had just finished feeding Demi and had changed her. When they came across a stream, she would clean the bag of diapers.
